| Winery Location: | Tours-Sur-Marne |
| Year Established: | 1812 |
Vineyard Holdings
Approximately 100 ha
Top Wines Produced
- Rosé Alexandra
- Grand Siècle
- Cuvée Rosé
- Ultra Brut
Inaugural Vintages
- Grand Siècle, released in 1959
- Cuvée Rosé, released in 1968
- Cuvée Alexandra, 1982, released in 1987
Average Total Production
- 6,000,000 bottles
Summary
The firm was founded by André Michel Pierlot, a former cooper in 1812. He passed the firm on to Chef de Cave Eugene Laurent. Upon Eugene’s death in 1887, Mathilde Emilie Perrier, his wife, took over the firm and combined the two family names to create Veuve Laurent-Perrier. Perrier’s daughter inherited the firm in 1925 and sold it to Marie-Luise Lanson de Nonacourt, who ran the firm through World War II. Her son Bernard, who had fought in the French resistance, took over the property after interning at Lanson and Deutz. He brought the firm from a small family business to the fourth largest Champagne house in sixty years time. Bernard de Nonacourt introduced fermentation and aging in stainless steel vats, as well as using a higher proportion of Chardonnay. Today the Chef de Cave is Michel Fauconnet. Laurent-Perrier is a Negociant Manipulant; the group also owns Salon, Delamotte, and De Castellane.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The wines are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. There is no oak used at this firm. The Brut non-vintage is generally made up of over 50% Chardonnay and ages for a minimum of three years on it’s lees, the magnums between four and five years. The Ultra Brut, first got its start in the late nineteenth century but came back to life in the 1980s. This wine is generally a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Grand Siècle is typically a blend of three vintages from eleven Grand Cru vineyards; in great years a single vintage reserve Grand Siècle may be made. It is a blend of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir and ages on it’s lees for eight years or more before release. The Cuvée Rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir. The Cuvée Alexandra is always vintage, and is named after co-director Alexandra Pereyre. It is mostly Pinot Noir with a small amount of Chardonnay macerated together. The wine ages for a minimum of seven years before release.
Producer Website: Laurent-Perrier